Finding the mountain *click* won't lessen the climb, Dora.
Happy summer to my fellow free men out there, and to those of you still in school - it will be over soon...but for now we will dance around you in our freedom, possibly pointing and laughing at your AP exams and final projects. This summer marks something remarkable in my life - a HUGE chunk of time that is mostly unplanned and ghostly unknown. It's weird. I'm not sure I'll be a fan of this summer. But you know what's cool? When you have so much time that you're not strangling to yourself, God is able to put some amazing adventures in your facebook photo albums.
This blog for instance, is birthed out of time that I got to spend with my mom's side of the family this past weekend. After reliving my childhood with a good game of kickball, I went on a backyard adventure with my two younger girl cousins. The younger of the two is about 18 months so I still had to help her out when climbing up stairs and be near her to keep her balance. Here's is the coolness that God showed me in this situation.
The first time Bailey and I were climbing up to slide I was right behind her on the stairs with my hand right behind her back to make sure she didn't fall backwards. After that I stayed in the tree house part of the playground that was the "bridge" between the stairs and slide. When Bailey first slid down the slide and then came back around the stairs to find me not behind her, she got really confused and didn't want to climb up. But then she looked up to see me at the top of the stairs and I said "You can do it! Come on, I'm right here."
Isn't that exactly how we treat God sometimes? We are all fine and dandy when He's right behind us
while we're climbing the mountain. He even holds our hand between climbing up the mountain and sliding down it. But after we enjoy sliding down after the trouble it took to climb up, we sometimes look around for His help again and we don't see Him. What do we do? We stand there waiting at the bottom of the stairs hoping He will come help us climb again. But then He doesn't, so we cry and wait. Then what? Sometimes we might take one step and hope He comes behind us once He sees us putting some effort in. Sometimes we have to take a few steps on our own before we can hear His voice telling us He's right there with us. Sometimes we don't hear Him or see Him at all - we just have to trust that if we fall He will be there to carry us again.
Why did I let Bailey climb up by herself after the first time? To see if she could. Because I knew that she could. But she didn't know that she could until she tried. God is the same way with us. He is always always there but we might not see Him, we might not hear Him, we might not feel His hand behind us as we climb. In Exodus the story of the Israelities being freed from Pharaoh and then on their way presents a great correlation. After being freed God did not lead them through a road that was known and a path that was easier or shorter. God led them around by the desert but was with them the whole time.
"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." - Ex. 13: 20-22
He never left them even when He caused them to walk down a path that was unknown, longer, and harder. He was always with them even when they didn't understand why He caused them to walk that way. So of course they trusted Him for the rest of their lives and never questioned Him again because He saved their lives from Pharaoh and then protected them all of their days, right? Nope. What happens after you climb the stairs and then sit down on the slide? Your back is turned. How easily we forget what it took to get us to that point and the One who helped us get there. Then when we reach the bottom of the slide we realize we need just as much help getting back up again.
The rest of the story in Exodus describes multiple times where the Israelities grumbled, complained, and kept questioning God. We can't judge them for doing this because we do the same thing daily. "God, why the crap am I having to pay for the gas in my car when all the other kids have their parents pay for it?"(comparing yourselves to others is the worst. You will always find a way to come up short and then blame God for your lack) or "God, why am I having to suffer this heartbreak when he's already found another girlfriend?" or "God, why am I having to wait for my future husband so long when all these people my age are already getting married?". Moses replied to the people:
"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." - Ex. 14:13-14
He will fight for us if we will only be still, aka: stop complaining and wait. I'm not saying to slide down the slide backwards so you can see the stairs and the "bridge to the slide", but when you are sliding down and life is dandy, don't forget what it took to get to that point and don't forget who was your Cheerleader while you were climbing.
When you are faced with mountains in front of you and you can't hear, see, or feel God in front of, beside of, or behind you - all you can do is start climbing and trust that He is IN you and most importantly He is FOR you. Reach out to Him and He will certainly reach out to you - even if you can't see His hands you will still see His work in you and all around you.
"He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.'" - Acts 17: 26-28
Put on your talking backpack! backpack!, grab Boots, and start climbing that mountain, Dora.
"Hallelujah, Hallelujah, whatever is in front of me, help me to sing Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, whatever is in front of me, I'll choose to sing Hallelujah." - "Hallelujah" by Bethany Dillon (Click to listen to her --> acoustic version <-- of the song - amazzzinnng!)
This blog for instance, is birthed out of time that I got to spend with my mom's side of the family this past weekend. After reliving my childhood with a good game of kickball, I went on a backyard adventure with my two younger girl cousins. The younger of the two is about 18 months so I still had to help her out when climbing up stairs and be near her to keep her balance. Here's is the coolness that God showed me in this situation.
The first time Bailey and I were climbing up to slide I was right behind her on the stairs with my hand right behind her back to make sure she didn't fall backwards. After that I stayed in the tree house part of the playground that was the "bridge" between the stairs and slide. When Bailey first slid down the slide and then came back around the stairs to find me not behind her, she got really confused and didn't want to climb up. But then she looked up to see me at the top of the stairs and I said "You can do it! Come on, I'm right here."
Isn't that exactly how we treat God sometimes? We are all fine and dandy when He's right behind us
while we're climbing the mountain. He even holds our hand between climbing up the mountain and sliding down it. But after we enjoy sliding down after the trouble it took to climb up, we sometimes look around for His help again and we don't see Him. What do we do? We stand there waiting at the bottom of the stairs hoping He will come help us climb again. But then He doesn't, so we cry and wait. Then what? Sometimes we might take one step and hope He comes behind us once He sees us putting some effort in. Sometimes we have to take a few steps on our own before we can hear His voice telling us He's right there with us. Sometimes we don't hear Him or see Him at all - we just have to trust that if we fall He will be there to carry us again.Why did I let Bailey climb up by herself after the first time? To see if she could. Because I knew that she could. But she didn't know that she could until she tried. God is the same way with us. He is always always there but we might not see Him, we might not hear Him, we might not feel His hand behind us as we climb. In Exodus the story of the Israelities being freed from Pharaoh and then on their way presents a great correlation. After being freed God did not lead them through a road that was known and a path that was easier or shorter. God led them around by the desert but was with them the whole time.
"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." - Ex. 13: 20-22
He never left them even when He caused them to walk down a path that was unknown, longer, and harder. He was always with them even when they didn't understand why He caused them to walk that way. So of course they trusted Him for the rest of their lives and never questioned Him again because He saved their lives from Pharaoh and then protected them all of their days, right? Nope. What happens after you climb the stairs and then sit down on the slide? Your back is turned. How easily we forget what it took to get us to that point and the One who helped us get there. Then when we reach the bottom of the slide we realize we need just as much help getting back up again.
The rest of the story in Exodus describes multiple times where the Israelities grumbled, complained, and kept questioning God. We can't judge them for doing this because we do the same thing daily. "God, why the crap am I having to pay for the gas in my car when all the other kids have their parents pay for it?"(comparing yourselves to others is the worst. You will always find a way to come up short and then blame God for your lack) or "God, why am I having to suffer this heartbreak when he's already found another girlfriend?" or "God, why am I having to wait for my future husband so long when all these people my age are already getting married?". Moses replied to the people:
"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." - Ex. 14:13-14
He will fight for us if we will only be still, aka: stop complaining and wait. I'm not saying to slide down the slide backwards so you can see the stairs and the "bridge to the slide", but when you are sliding down and life is dandy, don't forget what it took to get to that point and don't forget who was your Cheerleader while you were climbing.
When you are faced with mountains in front of you and you can't hear, see, or feel God in front of, beside of, or behind you - all you can do is start climbing and trust that He is IN you and most importantly He is FOR you. Reach out to Him and He will certainly reach out to you - even if you can't see His hands you will still see His work in you and all around you. "He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.'" - Acts 17: 26-28
Put on your talking backpack! backpack!, grab Boots, and start climbing that mountain, Dora.
"Hallelujah, Hallelujah, whatever is in front of me, help me to sing Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, whatever is in front of me, I'll choose to sing Hallelujah." - "Hallelujah" by Bethany Dillon (Click to listen to her --> acoustic version <-- of the song - amazzzinnng!)
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